"'Bout time you got here," Grissom said as Phil strolled through the door with Latisha Piper in tow.
"Sorry I'm late," Phil said. "Got tied up downtown." He let Latisha wander around the waiting area but kept an eye on her.
The mercenary shrugged. "What can you do?" He checked his watch. "I'm heading back. Denyce should be released within the hour."
"So it wasn't as bad as you initially thought?"
"A good deal of emotional trauma," Grissom explained, "but only slight physical trauma to match." He noticed that Diana was missing and raised an eyebrow. "Tied up downtown?"
Phil gestured to Latisha, who was sitting alone by a window. "Shootout. Couldn't save her mother. The little girl saw it. Better not bring it up without a good pshrink available."
Grissom looked down. "Damn."
Phil nodded. "Yeah." He looked outside to where Nick DiVecchio was keeping a lookout for the police.
"You okay?" the merc asked.
Phil chuckled. "In a manner of speaking. The last few days haven't quite caught up with me yet. I've been ignoring everything except this mission, and I'm sure that once it's over, everything will catch up to me." He frowned. "Not sure how I'm gonna break this to Kit."
Grissom put a hand on Phil's shoulder. "You did what you could, mate. No sense floggin' yourself over what you couldn't 'ave done." He looked around. "I'm heading for my jet. Get the girls to the charter plane at the airport, and we can all go home."
"Sounds like a plan," Phil replied. He saw a doctor emerge from the ER with a stack of charts. "Looks like Denyce might be ready to go."
"Take care of yourself," Grissom advised him. "And keep your 'ead up. There's bound to be more of Gambini's stooges running around out there."
Phil nodded. "I'll keep my eyes peeled."
Grissom walked off as Phil turned to meet the doctor. "Are those charts for Denyce Piper?"
"That's correct," the doctor replied. "She's doing much better. Mild hypothermia from being immersed in cold water for an extended period of time, but we managed to stabilize her blood temps. Some bruising and swelling where she was bound with duct tape and electrical cables, but that should go away in a few days."
"Is she cleared to leave, then?" Phil asked.
"She can be released, yes, but not to you. Unless you're her legal guardian or an appointed representative."
"Actually," Phil replied, "I'm with the State Department."
The doctor raised an eyebrow. "Really? Then what brings you here?"
"The girl's father lives on La Perdita," Phil explained, "and there was an international criminal organization involved in the girl's kidnapping. I've been appointed to return both girls to their father." He looked around. "This area isn't secure, by the way, so if you'll permit me, I can have both girls out of here and under the protection of a police escort very shortly."
The doctor shrugged and pointed to a receptionist's desk. "All right. Paperwork's over there."
Phil nodded. "Thank you, sir." He walked over and began filling out forms.
"I'm sure you're anxious to be on your way," the receptionist commented with a smile.
